Suzanne Wallace
Suzanne's Story

Suzanne joined Watsi on January 2nd, 2016. 25 other people also joined Watsi on that day! Suzanne's most recent donation supported Duncan, an outgoing mechanic from Kenya, to fund surgery on his leg so he can walk and work again.

Impact

Suzanne has funded healthcare for 19 patients in 8 countries.

Patients funded by Suzanne

Duncan is a 23-year-old mechanic. He's a lively man who likes cracking jokes with friends to cheer everyone up. Duncan is the second born in a family of six and he is married with two children. He lives in a rented house at his local center with his family. He completed his high school studies but did not proceed to college because of a lack of school fees. He has always had to do a lot to take care of his siblings and provide for their needs, like school fees. Duncan learned mechanical skills from his local center by watching what the mechanics there were doing. He now hopes to study mechanical engineering to improve his skills but he is unable because of the financial burden he has of taking care of his siblings and young family. Despite this, he is still hopeful that he will manage to do so in the future. Two days ago, Duncan was involved in a severe accident and sustained a fracture on his right leg. He was riding a motorcycle in the evening from his place of work when it lost control and fell into a ditch. He was rushed to a nearby health facility for immediate care from where he was referred to our hospital. An X-Ray confirmed a right femur fracture. He also has chest pains hence needing hospital admission for management and to plan for his surgery. He is unable to walk, has pain, and feels all he can do is lie in bed and wait for help. Fortunately, surgeons at our medical partner can help. On October 8th, Duncan will undergo a fracture repair procedure, called an open reduction and internal fixation. This surgery will relieve him of the pain and help him walk again. Now, our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation, is requesting $1145 to fund this procedure. Duncan says, “We are facing a difficult moment as a family, my parents cannot find money to buy food for the family without my assistance. There’s nothing else that matters other than seeing my family happy. I want to get healed and go back home to support their needs.”

$1,145raised
Fully funded

Ndegami is a 50-year-old husband and father of nine children who lives in Uganda. His banana plantation is the sole source of income for him and his family. About five years ago, Ndegami was pushing a bicycle loaded with bananas when he felt a sharp pain in his right inguinal area. Two months later, he developed a small swelling in the same area. When the swelling grew, he visited a hospital where he received medicine that decreased the size of the swelling. When he finished the medicine, the swelling became bigger, but Ndegami never returned to the hospital because of lack of money. Ndegami has an inguinal hernia, a protrusion of the intestines through a weak region in the abdominal muscles. The hernia presents as a protrusion or bulge in the abdomen or groin and makes coughing, bending at the waist, or lifting heavy objects very painful. Ndegami's hernia is large, but it goes back inside when he presses on it. He feels pain mostly when he strains. Due to the pain, he has not been able to attend to his farm for the past year. “The big swelling that pains me a lot, and I cannot do heavy work,” shares Ndegami. Ndegami's son-in-law advised him to come to Holy Family Virika Hospital for evaluation and treatment. For $249, Ndegami will undergo hernia repair surgery. During the surgery, the doctor will push the protruding tissue back into the abdomen and sew together the weakened muscle with a synthetic mesh. Over time, muscle tissue will grow into and around the mesh to strengthen the area. Funding for Ndegami also covers the costs of a three-day hospital stay, pain medicine, antibiotics, and blood tests. After surgery, Ndegami hopes to resume working on his banana plantation. Let's help make that happen!

$249raised
Fully funded